University of Minnesota Duluth fifth-year senior Jack Van Kempen was voted by the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference coaches as the winner of the NSIC Men's Cross Country Outstanding Senior of the Year Award.  Van Kempen was presented the award following the NSIC Cross Country Championships, which took place on Saturday  in Minot, N.D. and was hosted by the Minot State University. 

The "NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year Award" is presented to a NSIC men's cross country student-athlete who participates at their institution for four years and is academically superior while making a positive contribution to their team and the University. The NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year award was initiated in 2020-21 to honor an outstanding senior that exemplifies the attributes of the model NSIC student-athlete.

A native of  Elbow Lake, Minnesota, Van Kempen holds a 3.92 grade point average while majoring in civil engineering. Van Kempen has been a consistent top performer for the last two years, earning All-NSIC First Team honors in 2022 and 2023. This season he won the UWRF River Town Invite 8K race with a time of 25:26.60 and placed fourth overall in the NSIC Championship meet on Saturday – the highest finish of his career.

Academically, Van Kempen has earned multiple NSIC All-Academic Team Honors in both cross country and track & field during his career.  He has also been honored with the Division II Athletics Directors Association (D2ADA) Academic Achievement Award. 

In the community, Van Kempen has participated in a variety of Grandma's Marathon events that feature road racing, aid stations, etc. He has also given back to the community through his church during his time in Duluth.

"Jack emulates what it means to be a Bulldog. He works hard and focuses on the process. Jack has represented our team and conference so well over the past three years. It has been amazing to watch his growth and progression as an athlete. He is a dedicated team member and leader and has played a huge part into our team's success especially over the last year through leading by example. We are grateful for his commitment and how he continually shows up with a positive attitude on the daily basis. He has grown into a phenomenal person and I'm grateful for all that he has done for our team," said Head Coach Brette Jensen.